Project Memento - Storyline Z
by Beta-D-glucose
Summary: Sometime after the Red Alert incident, the maverick hunters receive a strange call for help, which brings them to even stranger places. The facilities of the Aperture Science holds many mystery, and deadly traps. Will they able to make it through? Let's find out! (This is the second - Zero's - parallel storyline. Check out the others as well! OC content.)
1. The favour

GLaDOS: _„The authoress would __like to remind you that this story is a non-profit, fanfiction crossover. All features and characters are belong to their respective owners, excluding Cyrr, Emma, Ciano and the storyline itself. Please support the official release!_

_Also, the authoress would like to encourage you to leave notifications, comments, and critics; furthermore, she wishes you a pleasant time._

_Fanfiction project: Memento starts in 5…4… - _Wait, what? Oh!_ The non-existent engineers just reminded me of something. You can choose three alternate storyline, and if you aren't tired of reading, or survive without critical brain damage, there's a _ e_ for you after each story. _

_So, choose your favorite character, and let's make science!"_

Yep, here's the story of Zero, starting with a clishe weird dream, and a rather unlucky day. Check out X's story too! I'll send Axl's as soon as I can. For those who just stumbled across this one, let me introduce you Project Memento!

* * *

**_The favour_**

…

_Darkness._

_Warm, stuffy air. Cold metal under him._

_Low, humming noises._

_Stinging pain. Ow._

_He groaned._

"I'm so sorry…"

_Who…?_

"I'm so sorry for doing this… I had to… please…"

_What's going on?_

"Please take care of her… She's not only your second chance… but maybe for the whole world as well… my magnum opus… your…"

_My…?_

"…Your…"

Zero gasped, as his eyes popped open. He took a couple of deep breath, just to calm down. Another one of those weird dreams again… First from an old man, now this…

He turned his attention towards the clock. 5:47 AM. Alarm set at: 6:15 AM.

Nah, it's still too early.

* * *

…

_**Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring!**_

The reploid just turned away in his capsule.

_**Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring!**_

"…C'mon… lemme sleep…" he grumbled.

_**Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring!**_

He reached out for the alarm clock, and smashed it.

_**Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring!**_

…Oh wait. This isn't the clock. This blaring, annoying ringtone could be only his phone.

_**Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring! Rrrrrrring!**_

"_Fine, fine!_ I'm coming…"

Zero grudgingly woke up from his capsule, yawned, and looked for his cell phone. It took a while, but he finally found it under a pile of unfinished paperwork.

"Zero here."

"Hello, Zero! It's me, X. Listen, we've got a mission, so get to Signas' ASAP. Where are you?"

"Home."

"Great…" X groaned. "I'll try to buy you some time, but you'd better get here fast. They say it's urgent."

"Okay, okay…"

"Oh, and Alia says switch on your radio. She swore she would kill you, 'cause she couldn't contact you since morning. And no, I don't think she would teleport you this time."

"X, you know well I always turn it off when I'm sleeping! I'd rather wake up to a maverick's buster than to her voice!"

"But Zero! It's almost noon!"

Silence.

"_Say what?!"_

"It's 11:46. Almost noon."

"I'll…I'll see you later…"

He hastily hung up the line, and started to gather a few things, while cursing everything under the sky he slept in again.

After finally finding his keys, he closed the apartment and zeroed down the stairs in record time. He hopped on his hover bike and after a louder swear, it hummed into life as well. He zoomed away faster than a car thief.

Zero slalomed on the streets, passing quite a few slower cars. And just when he thought this day couldn't get worse, he turned on the highway, and he faced the biggest traffic jam ever.

"AAAARGH, give me a break!" he threw up his hands in the air. With a big sigh, he tapped on his radio hidden in his ear. "Hey, X? Zero there. Listen… I think I might be a _little_ late…"

* * *

Later, our unlucky, red hero ran down the corridors, mentally being grateful he hadn't met Alia yet. He was about to dash through, when he saw his two buddies walking away from Signas' office. '_Shit…'_ he thought '_I'm so going to get screwed because of this…'_

He skidded to stop, which gained attention of his two arguing friends.

"Hey, X, Axl" he panted "I guess I missed the whole fun, didn't I?"

"You seriously need to move closer Zero." X rubbed his forehead. "It's not the first time you're late this much."

"Signas can forgive me a couple of times. Anyways, I'll make it up for him, if he's so mad."

"But not Alia…"

"Are you going to rub it in further, or just give me a recap finally?" he grunted.

"Fine, fine…" X sighed.

For some reason he nudged on Axl before continue:

"Basically, we have a complex mission here. Part one is investigate and guard a laboratory named Aperture Science. It's in Michigan, under the ground."

"Never heard of it."

"I guessed so, because the lab was founded in the 1960's. Which means it's roughly… three hundred years old. Also, there weren't much activities recorded from them."

"WHA?!" Axl chimed in "_Three hundred?!_ And that place still exists? How the hell?!"

"That is something we might find out later. The point is, they have important research there, and the last thing we both need is to let them fall in maverick hands."

"What do they have?" Zero cut in.

"We have no clue." X admitted with a sigh. "We'll find out more later, when we actually can contact with the CEO. Signas described her as an AI, but he didn't say she's a reploid."

Zero crossed his arms.

"If not a reploid then what?"

"Umm… consciousness trapped in computer perhaps? Remember the lab is really old. Older than the reploid race."

"X, for the Holy Motherpad, this is no time for guessing! Just give facts!"

"I know, I know, but we don't have much. Anyway, our other target is a moon rock mine and the other unit of the Aperture, behind the Moon. An evil force called the Innovators, had ambushed it, and took a hostage. She is a famous scientist, and she was in charge of this space lab we're talking about. Her name is Ciano."

Zero tapped his foot, deep in thought. Ciano, Ciano, Ciano… nope, nothing of her. X was into science much, not him.

"She managed to escape however" X continued. "Now, she's on the run in deep space. She could only speak with us only once, then, we lost her. She gave us two coordinates, and that's all."

There was silence. Finally, Zero spoke up, his voice more serious than ever.

"X… you _do_ realize this is far not enough information for us, don't you?"

"Yes, and so does Signas. He said we will wait for two days, in case we can gather some more data. Also, everybody will have to keep their eyes open. If there's any hint this might be a façade, we will be retrieved immediately."

Zero's expression darkened as he nodded slowly. Axl was strangely silent too. They all understood this might be nothing, but a trap. In fact, Zero had a feeling this _is exactly_ a trap.

No words came from them, until X suggested to have buy coffee. Even though it was far past noon, the day was still long… However, as the trio came down the cafeteria, a shriek pierced through the air and their ears.

"ZERO, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The red hunter looked to the side, and shuddered as he saw their operator in demonic rage…

Yes, this day is going to be longer than he imagined first…

* * *

**Author's note no.2.:**

"(Axl:) You show up late, and have the nerve to complain?"


	2. Buried alive

Author's note: sorry it took so long, but this one was pretty hard to write. But it's a long chapter, too, so... The mood changes drastically, but keep in mind Zero is on the edge.

_GLaDOS: "I've already said the disclaimer, but no one cared to record it. If you want to read it, go back to chapter 1."_

* * *

Chapter 2.: Buried alive

"I can't believe you agreed to this."

X sighed, and rubbed his forehead, like he always did when he was exhausted. Zero didn't care. He'll make him listen, even if it costs their friendship.

"Have you lost your mind?!" He ranted. "You're an S-ranked hunter, and you still volunteer to kill yourself?! This is an obvious trap!"

"Yes, I do." X said calmly, though his eyes told a different story. "And as I told it a hundred times, I'm doing it because at least one life depends on it. You've heard the CEO: Aperture has many dangerous experiments. If those are turned against our civilization, I don't want to find out what could evolve."

"Oh, yeah. Playing heroic. Problem is, you're a valuable person. And while you're trying to save the world from this completely scam 'hazard', the only thing you'll achieve, is to get your head sew off. Bravo."

"I'm not playing heroic, and I already know this!" X snapped. "Signas knows this! Everybody knows this! That's why they gave us a choice, and I took it!"

"Tell the people you were trying to save their lives, when Sigma comes again! Oh, wait, you won't be able to. Because you'll be **dead**!"

"What the heck is wrong with you?! If you don't wanna risk your neck, then **don't friggin' go!** End of story! Besides how many times we took the plunge, and we're still there!"

"Oh, please forgive me I don't wanna lose my best friend! Just how the heck can you be so naïve?! And how many times I had to save your butt whenever we took that plunge?!"

"Oh, I don't know which one of us **died** **twice**! And which one of us had to collect his parts while risking his life as well!"

Now that hit the spot. Zero stepped closer, his body shaking from anger.

"Listen, X!" He hissed. "Don't you remember **why** I died? I died for **you**! And I don't mind dying, as long as you **live**!"

X didn't back down.

"Zero, I can protect myself." He spoke calmly. "Maybe you don't remember, because you were 'out of party', but I did it many times. If you don't trust me with this, I understand. But I won't go back on my word. I'll do this. If you accept the mission or not, it's up to you."

They stared each other in silence. After a moment - which felt like eternity – Zero sighed deeply, and stepped back. He slumped on a nearby bench, and his careful senses told him that X did the same. They just sat next to each other, trying to calm down. Zero knew by now that he had lost the battle. X had stronger will than lightanium. Once he made up his mind, even him, his best friend couldn't dissuade him.

"Damn you, X…" he muttered.

He still didn't like this, but he had to go. Again.

"It looks like I can't dehorn you from this." He continued. "Fine. I'm coming with you."

"I believe we've been over this" X noted.

The blond let out a short snort.

"You seriously thought I'd sit around, arms crossed, while you're out there? Forget it. If those bastards want to kill you, I wanna be there too at least. Just to watch your back, eh?"

His friend smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Zero… and… sorry I snapped. I was on the edge lately."

"I know, I know… I'm sorry, too."

They sat next to each other in silence, though this was "friendly silence" now. A sudden, quick hug, a pat on the shoulder. Funny, how the smallest things can smooth the biggest problems.

"There ya go, big dork" Zero muttered as X let out a chuckle.

"I've heard Axl has some problems with his 'spaceship-driving-crash course'. Let's visit him, what do you say?"

The red hunter nodded, though the word "spaceship" brought up bitter memories. Maybe he can teach the young one how to take off - but to the present day, Zero never, ever cared to learn how to land…

* * *

The rest of the time went rather easily and quickly. Mostly it was due to the Aperture's CEO, GLaDOS. Zero would rather strangle himself with his own hair than trust in her. There was something in her smooth, sweet-talking voice, his gut instincts screamed "dangerous". But even he had to admit, a supercomputer is a great help in the team. She even lent one of her space shuttle to Axl. (Guess what? Aperture had a warehouse full with missiles and spaceships.) And while Axl departed from Cape Canaveral, they were…

…Standing in the middle of nowhere, in front of a rusty, small hut.

Zero examined every minuscule details of it, he even went around it, but no. It was a simple hut, with a thick, steel door.

"_This_ was supposed to be the entrance?"

Looking over X, even his friend had doubts. GLaDOS had given them some rough maps from the facility, told them the exact location, but now, this looked like a bad joke. The red hunter was almost pissed, when suddenly, they heard some muffled noises. They came from the hut.

Combat skills kicked in. The moment the door opened with a loud "_**BAM!**_", X jumped to the side, ready to cover, while Zero pounced and slashed.

_**Poof!**_

Some sparks of electricity, thick smoke. Zero coughed, but a moment later, the smoke cleared, and then, he saw… an elevator, and a safety camera. It didn't take a genius the former was no longer functional.

"False alarm, X" he called out. "No one's inside. It's just a lift. Or… it was."

"_At least you waited until I opened the door_" GLaDOS' voice rung from inside._ "I'm sorry. I didn't know I would trigger such… reaction when I simply open the door for you. Ah, well. This lift was malfunctioning for a while, anyways."_

'_Malfunctioning?' _Zero thought_. 'Seriously? You sent a malfunctioning lift for us?'_

The elevator shook, and suddenly, it fell down in the deep abyss. X, who was now standing next to his friend, took a curious peek in the hole.

"_If you intend to take a leap of faith, I won't stop you. However, keep in mind that more than five kilometers fall is awaiting for you, once you actually go through with it."_

"Uuuh… that means…" X scratched his chin, then he blinked in shock. "T-this hole continues _at least three miles _under the ground?! Are you joking?!"

"_No, I'm not. However, I see your mental capacities are satisfying enough. Good. I'll send you another lift. This is a well-functioning one, I checked. Don't destroy it, please."_

"And you'd better do…" the red hunter muttered to the camera above them. He decided not to hide his distaste, no matter the consequences. He'd rather take that leap of faith, than being toady.

A couple of minutes later, the glass-walled lift arrived. X quickly step in it, and sent a questioning look to his friend. Zero was hesitating. Finally, he took a deep breath, and followed his comrade. Each step was as heavy as lead. When the lift's door closed, he felt like he was standing in his own coffin. The "coffin" started to sink, deeper and deeper, under the ground.

'_Well, let's bury ourselves alive, shall we?'_ He thought. _'Easy as pie…'_

The hunter duo watched as the floors passed. Zero observed everything carefully. Power lines, pipes carrying…boxes? Robots? Trash? Then, a spacious, black, dark hall. It reminded him a sorts of an opera stage. And what is that huge, red-eyed _thing_ in the background?

He didn't have time to stare at it longer, because they were in some kind of office building now. Some doors were closed, some open, which let the visitors peek in. They all were empty, though. Then, they saw some rooms, with black and white walls, cubes, buttons, and… is that a laser beam? Oh, yes, those were the test chambers, if he recalled correctly. How they use it, for what, and how does that benefit for the Aperture, GLaDOS didn't care to explain.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a factory line. But, before he could have a better look, another, stunning sight greeted them.

Now they could see how the chambers looked outside. They were black boxes on rails, all hanging above the deep abyss. Oh, hey, one of them is just moving! So… the Aperture changes inside all the time, like a sick labyrinth. Splendid. Just what they needed.

"No wonder why we weren't given detailed maps" he heard his friend whisper. "The whole facility is mobile. Dynamically transforming all the time."

Hmmm… now looking at it closer, maybe _not all of it_. Zero noticed something in the distance.

"Not the whole" He shook his head and pointed towards the flickering light. "See that window up there? It must belong to some sorts of room, or office. Dunno. But the point is, it's on a fix location. I don't see any rails coming from it."

"_For the court record, I __**can**__ hear you. We'll greet each other face to face in 10… 9…"_

'_Good. All I needed is you spying on us'_ the red hunter thought. But, at least, they'll be there soon. They'd just passed three, big rings, which – judging from the sheer amount of cables - seemed to be part of the supercomputer, finally arrived to the room, and _whaaaaaat the f…._

He had experienced many strange things during his career, but GLaDOS was the weirdest looking machine he had ever seen, and that said something. She consisted of one hell amount of wires, boat-sized, curvy shells, and most notably, a single, yellow optic. And _boy_, she was almost as big as Sigma's battle bodies! (Okay, the last monstrosity in space doesn't count.*)

She measured them up, before nodding gracefully.

"_Welcome to the Central Control Room, but I prefer referring it as 'my chamber'. It's nice to see you face to face at last."_

"N-nice to see you too…" X was completely awed.

"_You didn't expect that I'd look like this, did you? Haha. Come on, don't be so shy… I know I look pretty."_

"Yeah, majestic as…" Zero muttered, his arms crossed. _Did she just flirt with them?_

However, GLaDOS didn't seem to notice anything. X cleared his throat.

"Well, you sure look unique, and your humor is the same… It's not always a bad thing, though."

Zero couldn't resist a snort. '_Oooh, X and the ladies. Just wait until Alia hears that…'_

The huge AI turned away, and soon, the floor moved (yes, that too was mobile) revealing two platforms.

"_Step on the scanners, please." _She said_. "I have to register the two of you into the Aperture database. It makes things much more convenient, and less… dangerous."_

"Which by you mean, less deadly, right?" The blond scoffed, not pleased at all.

To their surprise, the AI was quite the contrary. She let out a gentle chuckle before continue:

"_See those shiny, fizzy-looking force fields on the exits? Those are the Aperture Science Emancipation Grills, or fizzlers for short. It prevents bringing unauthorized objects to the test chambers, or anywhere else. I'm afraid that those might recognize you as such, and destroy you. Wait, let me show you."_

A claw appeared out of nowhere, a cube in its grasp. It swung, threw the cube, and the moment it touched the fizzler, it was destroyed. Like it had never existed. What a showoff.

"_Oh, one more thing before I scan you: no weapons."_

Our red hunter raised one of his eyebrows. _No weapons? Seriously? Sorry miss, no way._

"GLaDOS, how are we supposed to protect you from mavericks without weapon?" X said gently as he shook his head. "I know Aperture has some, but please trust me with this: we had faced many mavericks before, and Sigma as well, the most dangerous of them. They have many tricks, many ways to kill people. It's simply too risky to…"

"Besides" Zero cut in "we are here, so in case **we **can fight back. Not just you, us. Throwing away our weapons would defeat the point of our mission."

GLaDOS turned away in thought.

"_Well, I still have… I can… easily if…" _she muttered_ "Never mind. You can have your weapons, but one scratch on my beautiful facility, and you'll be __**suffocated**__, understood?"_

The hunter duo nodded.

"_All right, now this is sorted out, can we get through the scan already? We have a lot work to do…"_

* * *

Eventually, X talked him into splitting up. He hated to leave his friend alone, but _somehow_ the upside-down AI started to notice random things in completely random locations. Technically, they only had to investigate those places the cameras can't see, but there was a problem. Even GLaDOS didn't know exactly how many was in the building, and exactly where. That left only one choice: scouting every single room, until they find and clear them all. _Yay._

To make the task even more difficult, the AI didn't even care to loosen the security. She _somehow_ forgot to tell they have cute, innocent-looking, but _bloody murderous _turrets. Their first encounter was rather a memorable one. If Zero didn't dash away in the nick of time, he would have more holes than a Swiss cheese. And these guys were _everywhere_! Even though it was rather easy to deactivate them (you just overthrow or slash them. Luckily, they couldn't fire from behind), but wherever he turned, he always came across those familiar, red laser pointers.

'_Why didn't she ask for a squad?!' _Zero fumed_. 'With just the two of us, we won't finish this in the next fifty years…'_

He raised his hand to his ear, trying to ask the HQ for reinforcement. However, there was a tiny little problem: _he couldn't contact with them._ He tried, tried many times, even in other places, but all he heard was a static noise.

"_Excuse me, but what are you doing?"_

Zero frowned at the innocent voice.

"I was trying to reach my people, but it seems the signal is jammed. So, if you could _please_ get rid of whatever is causing it, I'd be grateful."

"_Jammed? Are you sure it's not because you're deep underground?"_

"We've tested them even deeper terrains. They worked. So…"

"_Okay, maybe they are really jammed. I have no clue what's causing it though."_

'_I have a feeling, you do…'_ the blond thought, but instead, he said: "Then, could you call the HQ for me? We need backup if we want to finish this thing soon."

"_I'll see what I can do."_

Splendid. Whoever is screwing with them – and he was almost sure it was the Aperture's upside-down queen – he'll make sure **they'll pay dearly**. Thinking about it a bit more, it wasn't hard for him to realize, that if someone had a supercomputer brain, it could be pretty easy to access private communication lines. Especially, when you're the one who supervises a whole maze, from top to bottom. Meaning his and X's radio could be wiretapped.

He reached to his ear to test out the theory, when he arrived to a door, which, surprisingly, wouldn't open for him.

"_That room is closed for reason. Pay no attention to it. There is _no living soul_ in them, I checked."_

"I'd like to have a look anyways. For safety's sake."

"_I've told you, just leave it alone."_

But Zero wasn't the person who could be shaken off easily. He moved back to the end of the catwalk, and readied his saber.

"_What did I told you about harming my facility?"_

"Sorry miss, but I want to see this. If you don't open that door, then I'll break through."

"_Fine, fine! As you wish. Go ahead, and break it, 'hero'. I don't care…"_

"HYAAAAAA!"

Zero dashed, and with one, powerful slash, the door was busted open. Smoke and sparks blurred his vision, but when it cleared, he saw…

Skeletons. Corpses. Tons of them! Bones, half-rotten, dead bodies twisted out, crushed, piled up on each other in massive heaps. And not just human remains… there were reploids too. Their faces frozen in utter terror, the moment when they saw death was carved into their features forever.

Normally, Zero had strong stomach. But when the smell reached his nose, he couldn't take it any longer. He ran out, leaned over the rail of a catwalk, and vomited. The blond retched a bit longer, before GLaDOS spoke up:

"_I warned you. Satisfied, hero?"_

"**No living soul in there, huh?!"** The red hunter snarled.

"_Hmmm… It is interesting how reploids were built so similar to humans. Mortality, free will, personality, android features… for most of them. Did you know your body has a small container which is filled with acid? That container can burn organic food, and use it as a minor, secondary energy resource. However, I didn't know until now, it can regurgitate as well, like human stomach can. We learn something interesting every day…"_

"Yeah, sure we do! What's the deal with those corpses?!"

"_Those are the unfortunate test subjects who died while testing during the centuries. I keep them there locked up where nobody bothers them in their eternal sleep. Well, nobody, but you is that pointlessly cruel."_

"Bury or incinerate them, for God's sake!" Zero snapped. "Or at least write it out on a board that 'this is a mass grave, please, don't bother'!"

"_I saw no reason incinerating them, because they are in this tomb, under the ground. Technically, they are already buried. And since no one goes around in this facility to mourn them, I didn't mind to mark where they are."_

Zero let out a shaky breath, and wiped his mouth.

"Just… just how many are they?"

"_I've lost count over the years."_

"And… you want to tell me they _all_ died during testing?"

"_We're an old company, remember."_

"You've been piling them up here, since 1960?! Like a morbid collection?"

"_That's wrong in many ways. First, Aperture was founded in the early 1940's, by Cave Johnson. He was a shower-curtain salesman, who became a billionaire, and started building the Enrichment Centre here. We began testing in the early 50's. Since then, Aperture and unfortunate death incidents were hand in hand. However, that original building is not the same where you are right now. Miles under us lies the 'Old Aperture', vitrified and sealed away."_

"Aperture, Space Aperture, now Old Aperture too?"

"_Correct. I've reopened it in the past, once. It had good testing tracks, and many useful materials. However, lately, it was in such a bad shape I had to close it down once again. I saved some of its features though. Now, would you like to look around, and muse some more of the past, or just simply move on?"_

Zero didn't answer, instead, he began walking away. GLaDOS guided him through the chambers, luckily, he didn't have to solve the puzzles. It required the portal gun, which Zero didn't have. The AI always put portals where he needed, or used bridges of solid light, or those blue funnels. He could solve the rest of it without a problem. The only thing he hated, that sometimes, his very life was in the "hands" of a person he clearly didn't trust. He especially felt this when he walked over bottomless pits, or saw the crushers above his head.

Good news is, he managed to find some hidden spots where even GLaDOS couldn't reach. Interesting enough, it appeared once, somebody _lived_ in those. There were handwriting and paintings on the walls, empty canned beans, mugs, and several medicine pills scattered around. Out of curiosity, he put some away to analyze later.

As he carefully squeezed himself further in the hole, he found the possible occupant of it. Unfortunately, he could only assume, because the human in question was dead, and a long ago. The skeleton was heaped next to a cube with pink lines, and hearts on its sides. Companion Cube, if he recalled correctly.

Zero carefully folded out the corpse's scattered, blood-strained lab coat, where he found an ID card, and a magnetic card attached to it.

"Finally, someone I can identify…" he muttered. "Doug Rattmann, huh? I hope it's no trouble if I take this, I have to give some evidence to the HQ… also, the magnetic card could come handy… Rest in peace, Doug. I hope we can find a better grave for you…"

* * *

The rest of his journey wasn't pleasant either. He kept coming across dead bodies, and who knows how many skeletons are in Aperture's closets… in both meanings. For once, he felt glad X wasn't around right now. He would completely freak out, and after all of this, he wouldn't blame him the slightest. Speaking of which… He wanted to call him a long ago to test out something.

He tapped on his radio to make contact. Here goes nothing…

"Hey, X! Zero there. Found anything interesting?"

X's voice was shaky, and unusually quiet.

"No… nothing besides a human skeleton."

Oh. So, he found one, too.

"Yeah, I keep coming across those all the time. Even reploid corpses. I hoped they'd be maverick, but now I doubt it."

"Maybe you should give a scan to Alia. I'm sure she could tell from a database…"

Zero sighed. _'X, please, don't lose your head after this…'_

"That's it. I can't contact the HQ. I've tried."

"What?! But how? It worked underground before!"

The red hunter didn't answer for a while. He wanted to test whether the upside down AI can hear them, but he didn't want to drag his friend into trouble either.

"Zero?"

"… I have no idea. Anyways, nil mavericks, if we don't count the possibility that they're already dead."

"Wait, Zero! Have you found… anybody else alive? Like, you know…"

**X, you idiot!**

"DAMMIT!" He yelled suddenly.

"Zero, are you okay?!"

Zero let out a deep sigh. His friend's golden heart will take them to their graves one day. Zero saw it clearly X had a secret plan to save whoever he can. He knew him enough to realize that immediately. However, the radio was too risky to discuss such plans.

"No big deal, just those turrets… I almost activated one again. They guard the security areas, but there's a bunch of them in the chambers too. Anyway, maybe we need to run into each other. My ears are itchy from this thing."

X was quiet, but he could tell the penny fell. "My ears are itchy" meant the line was tapped.

"Okay. As you wish, Zero."

"See ya later!"

"Be careful!"

One last, soft snap, and the contact was broken. Now things should turn interesting...

"_Why did you lie to him?"_

Aaaaand here goes.

"_There are clearly no turrets in the area you're in right now. Why did you tell him otherwise?"_

Thankfully, Zero had a warehouse full of excuses he could use.

"Listen, ma'am, my mission is to eliminate possible mavericks, not to save them. I just don't want to discuss it with my gold-hearted friend, who thinks othervise."

"_I understand, but still_… oh, no, not again_… Listen, could you handle things alone for a while? I'll be back soon."_

Strange. However, one second later, the radio started beeping his ear. X again? Huh, that was fast…

"Zero, can you read me?" The blue hunter called.

"Yup, clear as crystal."

"Say, where are you?"

Zero took the time to check his position.

"I guess in the eastern wing, if the map is reliable. Need me to come over?"

"Yes. I think I just saw someone. I could've sworn it was you, but you aren't near to me. GLaDOS said it was a she and she's her test subject."

Most… peculiar. He didn't expect someone _alive_ besides them.

"Want me to fetch her?" The red hunter asked.

"If you can, please. I'll go searching, too. Worst case scenario, it would be better if she's out of harm's way."

"…Okay. Switch on your location signal, and I'll find you."

Soon, he sensed the familiar, annoying bleeping. It seemed it came from the western wing… As Zero departed, he thought of the girl in question. If she's really a test subject, maybe she can provide a bit more info. And if she's a maverick… well, they will deal with her in the usual way...

* * *

A.N. no.2.: *that monstrosity in space is referring to Sigma's final form in X7. Anyway, I know normally, Zero is not that pissy, but he worries of his friends. Also, there's a little correction from the past chapter: Aperture was founded in the '40's, as I found out later. And sorry about the grammatical mistakes. I have no beta yet, and I hadn't bothered to read the whole chapter another time. Anyway, I hope it's still enjoyable.


	3. One way, or another

GLaDOS: "[Apology here] _for the hiatus, but_ [pathetic excuse here]. _The credits are going as usual. Now continue testing/reading."_

* * *

_ One way, or another...  
_

Finally, some action! Zero was dreading for something to ease his stress. And there's nothing better for that, than speeding through a maze (although he was moving fast, reaching the western wing did take some time), send a couple of screaming turrets to their death, and kick some maverick butt. Of course if the person in question was a maverick at all.

He jumped down from a catwalk, just to land on another – the whole shook under him dangerously - , he quickly dashed towards a lift, but it turned out it wasn't functioning for now. So much for co-operation… He checked for X's signal again. Hmm, maybe he could take a shortcut by climbing up the test chambers from outside. His double jump came handy again when he jumped from chamber to chamber, just like ninjas on rooftops.

As he was speeding through, suddenly, the panels opened under his feet, and the next leverage was too far away for him to reach. After falling through two chambers with open floors and ceilings, he was squashed on the floor. Or, he would've been squashed, if he didn't manage to maneuver to the nearest wall at the latest second, and slide down on it. Still, he hit the ground hard. And if that wasn't enough, his hands were grazed up nastily. No, "scorched" was a better word. Zero could see the hydraulics and his mainframe. He tried to move his fingers, just to let out a short yell of pain.

'_Damn it, I doubt I can open a cap, let alone holding my saber_!' he thought '_Just what the hell am I going to do when more turret comes?! And how am I supposed to catch that she-devil like this?!'_

"_**Hello?**_"

Oh. God. No.

"_**Are you still there?**_"

Sure enough, the familiar laser pointers were roaming around the next corner. He quickly hid behind the glass. Turrets couldn't detect him through glass. His careful ears sensed the camera moving after him. Oh, how nice it would be just to tear it off from the wall… If his hands wouldn't hurt like hell.

He can't stand there forever, though. For some reason he preferred staying out of the crazy AI's "eyesight". The sooner he gets out of this chamber, the merrier. He looked around and listened. Turrets behind him, and from the corridor turning to the right, he heard the buzzing of the laser beams.

**Clunk! Clang! Bam!**

Zero spun around, ready to fight or flight, when he noticed a panel was out of place, to the far of his left. The arm was trying to place it back, with force, apparently. The red hunter tilted his head: trap or not? Only one way to find out…

He sneaked up, crouched down, and planted his feet firmly. With a forceful push of his shoulder and elbow, he created a gap big enough to squeeze himself out. What he saw was… a big nothing. At least nothing interesting. The platform under them was huge, but plain. Nothing, but floor of concrete. But the fact it was finally concrete, and immobile made him grateful. Zero hopped down, and looked around more.

The more he saw, the more positive he became, that this place used to be a building/maintenance area. Several ladders, and a scaffolding were set up against the chamber; tools, rotting scrap materials scattered all over the floor. Plus… a skeleton again. From the helmet, he guessed that once, it must've been a worker. The legs and the abdomen were buried under a pile, while the hands were stretched towards…

Just then, he noticed a thin staircase with a catwalk, leading up, into the darkness. Unless he wanted to rot here too, he had no other choice. He quickly navigated up on the stairs, meanwhile he noted X's signal was getting considerably closer. However, as he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the rest of the catwalk… well, it was a miracle there was something left of it.

'_Allright, Zero, you just have to dash through, and jump, before it collapses under you'_ he thought. _'You've did this before, you can pull it off again…No biggie…_'

He took a deep breath, and dashed like never before. Sure enough, the moment his foot touched the floor, it started to shake under him, but he was already in the air when it collapsed. He jumped to the other platform, then, the other, thentheotherthentheotherthentheother… Boy, was he glad when he finally reached safe waters! Nevertheless, as he stopped for a breather, he noticed that a couple floors beneath, a chamber's lights had flickered on, just by the end of the stairs. After a moment of consideration, with a golden flash of his hair, he turned to descend towards his target.

* * *

Eventually, he found his way to an employee's longue, where he could easily survey the room, through the broken glass. For a moment, he thought he was already too late, when, out of nowhere, a blue portal opened on the opposite wall.

"_Took you long enough."_ GLaDOS said, and for a second, he wasn't sure if it was intended for him, or the test subject. _"Maybe it's because of the extra weight you'd packed on. But don't worry. I know several test tracks where we can make you fit again..."_

Soon, he heard footsteps, then, a figure stepped through the portal. Finally, he saw _her_. And she wasn't fat at all. Orange jumpsuit, white tank top, a pair of weird-looking boots, and some kind of cannon on her arm. But her most striking feature was her long, blonde ponytail. The fact that it looked _identical_ to his own, was rather unnerving.

Okay. Plan A: pounce and capture her. But since his hands were "out of service" – he couldn't even reach to his "backpack" to get a healing capsule – that wasn't likely possible. Plan B: approach carefully, and talk with her. However, that… was right off his beat.

"Shoot, I'm screwed…" he sighed. "X, where the hell are you, when I actually need you the most?!"

Suddenly, the girl stopped in her track. The red hunter saw as her whole figure shook, as she was looking behind herself with utter fear. Did she hear him? …Well, he had no other choice now. He had to improvise.

"Uh, miss? Can you hear me? Up here…"

She snapped around, eyes wide, surging the source of his voice. She found him soon enough, and now she was looking back at him in sheer terror. She looked like she would lose her sense in panic at any second.

"…Now, calm down, okay? I'm not here to kill you. I mean absolutely no-… Nononono, come back, COME BACK…!"

The girl screamed like… uh, a_ girl_, and darted towards the exit. Zero let a couple of f-bombs slip while he broke out the observation room, and dashed after her. Boy, she was _fast_! Especially, when she started to run on an orange gel. And when white walls came into play, he could barely keep her in his eyesight. Portal here, portal there, drop down, jump up, fling-and-fly… There was no question this girl could use her portal gun like a pro.

But he managed to stay on her tail, in every second. Now, she started to run on another path covered with the orange gel, between in her portals. She was trying to build up momentum… but he had to catch her _somehow _before she could use it…

Their speed was now insane. But the gap between them was growing smaller and smaller… just one last dash…

Before he could register it, the floor disappeared. Instead, there was an at least 60 feet gap, and the abyss under him.

_**Shi-…**_

He couldn't even finish the thought, when he was tossed to the wall on the other side, knocking the wind out of him.

* * *

_**"…Thank you for assuming the party escort submission position…."**_

Zero felt something grabbing his legs, pulling him. He raised his arm to stop the bastard, before passing out again.

* * *

"_Wake up, sleeping beauty."_

Zero groaned. Not this again… Not _her_…

"_Oh, come on. You had more than fifteen hours to recover. It's time for tes-ting~!"_ She sing-sung the end.

"Sorry, but I kinda lost both of my hands. I doubt I could be any use for your 'science' or whatever…" He grumbled.

"_Maybe you should check yourself once more."_

Zero did, and blinked in surprise. Apparently, the crazy AI had had fixed his hands. And his feet. And his whole body. Some parts of his armor had been patched up with white pieces, but otherwise he was good as new. He stood up, and flexed his joints, just to notice a little addition on his boots.

"GLaDOS, I've got one question for you: _what are those?" _He asked, pointing down.

"_I've modified your footwear similar to the Aperture Science Long-fall Boots. If my calculations are correct, you shouldn't worry about the heights anymore. If not… well, it's just a prototype, keep in mind."_

Zero sweatdropped "Yeah, will do…"

"_Now, we should begin testing. We don't have all day!"_

"**No way."**

Silence.

"Look, I'm not here to perform in your pretty test tracks." The red hunter glared. "I'm here to investigate, and get rid of any possible mavericks. I don't have time for puzzles."

The AI hummed. "_Interesting. And hypocrite at the same time. Still, since my original test subject had escaped – thanks to your 'investigation' – you're my best bet now."_

"So, she did, huh?" Good for her...

"_I know what you're thinking. She's still in the facility. So is your friend."_

Zero stopped in his tracks.

"X is alive?"

The maniac AI chuckled. _"I'm afraid, you'll have to find that out for yourself. Because that's what I want as well."_

A portal appeared on the wall. The orange rim was glowing and twisting like flames. Like Hell's gate itself had opened up, just for him.

"_Find them, and report back to me. Solve some tests on the way. That's your quest, Adventurer of Science."_

Zero sighed. What did he had to lose by this point? He had to meet up with X at least, whether asked by GLaDOS or not. Still…

Instead of simply stepping through the portal, he cut himself an exit with his Z-saber. The walls were glass, so it was easy.

"_**OOOH, WHY YOU! Why do you have to be such a knucklehead, obnoxious, stubborn, prideful little…**"_ GLaDOS snarled, losing her control for a minute. _"Say, do you find pleasure by destroying everything you can? Because the Enrichment Center__** will**__ make you pay compensation, __**I guarantee it**__."_

Zero just grinned in victory.

* * *

AN.:Wow, that's embarrassing. I mean, it's been... 6 months, if I'm correct. College, man. It does things for ya. Finally, I'm through the exams for this semester, and finally had the motivation to write this story again. Because I've been busy with some others too, including my own book. So yeah. Dare to dream big, right?

Also, there's still more problem I couldn't solve yet, but I can't postpone it any longer. In the next chapter, Zero will meet with our mistery girl. How it will go down, I still have vague ideas, but I'll make it work somehow... right?

Still, I've started the next chapter, but I can't make any promises when it will come out. Studying anywhere near healthcare and health sciences is brutal. SCREW YOU, ANATOMY!

Anyway, I can't thank you enough if you're still waiting for me publishing something. You have my respect and graditude. I love you all :)

/Zero: "I've got one question for you: WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE?!"/


End file.
